In Broday’s strong first Texas Heroes historical romance, a marriage of necessity develops into genuine love in 19th-century Texas. Duel McClain has little to live for until he wins a baby girl in a poker game. The same night, a blooded, bruised, frantic woman, Jessie Foltry, rushes into his camp and begs for help. Duel pledges his protection and offers to take her back home to his family’s ranch in Tranquility if she’ll help raise his unexpected daughter. Once settled, she admits to having killed her abusive husband. To help keep her past a secret, Jessie and Duel stage a quickie marriage, but hiding her crime gets more complicated when Duel’s younger brother, Texas Ranger Luke, comes looking for the fugitive husband-killer. Broday (the Men of Legend series) has a knack for capturing the hesitations of both Duel and Jessie and unfurling a twisting plot without resorting to melodrama. Through carefully deployed flashbacks, she slowly exposes the horrors of Jessie’s marriage, culminating in a truly grisly image of depravity without overwhelming the tender love story. Fans of historical romances will be pleased. Agent: Gail Fortune, Talbot Fortune.(Aug.)